Table of Contents
Are you tired of making easily avoidable mistakes when it comes to unit conversion? Avoiding calculation errors is essential, especially when precise measurements are required. Fortunately, mastering the process of converting different units of measurement doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.
In this blog post, we talk about five easy steps that will guide you through the process and help ensure accuracy in your work. All that’s left for you to do is invest a few minutes into understanding and implementing these important concepts with practice. Read on if you want to learn how!
About the Systems
Before delving into how to master the conversion of units, it would be a good idea to learn a bit about the various measurement systems currently being used. Currently, the two most popular units of measurement being used are the Imperial system and the metric system.
The Imperial system was originally used by the British and was used as a system of measurement from 1824 all the way through until 1965. America started using the system because the United States Customary System is based on British Imperial units.
The metric system was actually created earlier, specifically in 1795, in France, after the French Revolution. The need for this system was simple; the government needed a system of measurement that would unify the country, as opposed to the many different systems of measurement that were being used at the time.
Length
The first unit of measure you would need to learn if you want to know how to convert is length. In terms of length, the conversions would be as follows; 1 millimeter would be 0.039 inches, 1 centimeter would be 0.39 inches, and 1 meter would be 39.37 inches (which is the equivalent of 3 feet). An easier way to remember the conversions is that a metric ruler, which is 30 cm, is just about equal to 1 foot.
Mass
The next unit of measure on this list would be mass, which is how much something weighs. The conversions for mass are:
- 0.454 kilograms would be 1 pound
- 1 kilogram would be 2.2 pounds
- 1 gram would be 0.035 ounces
- 28.350 grams would be 1 ounce
- 0.907 metric tons would be 1 short ton
To make it easier, it would be a good idea to remember that with weight, the unit of measure for the metric system changes with every 1,000. For example, 1,000 milligrams equals 1 gram, and 1,000 grams equals 1 kilogram.
Volume
The next unit of measure you need to learn is volume, which is liquid weight. The conversion for volume are:
- 1 liter would be 33.814 ounces
- 3.785 liters would be 1 gallon
- 29.573 milliliters would be 1 ounce
- 0.473 liters would be 1 pint
- 0.946 liters would be 1 quart
In terms of volume, every 1,000 can also be used. For example, 1,000 milliliters is equal to 1 liter. There are, of course, more units, such as nanoliter, microliter, kiloliter, and so on.
Area
One of the more important units of measure you need to know is the area, which is the total size of a specific place or object. The conversions for this would be:
- 0.405 hectares would be 1 acre
- 0.093 square meters would be 1 square foot
- 2.590 square kilometers would be 1 square mile
Temperature
Finally, the last unit of measure you need to know on this list is temperature. Unlike the other units of measure, the temperature is calculated using a calculation, which is relatively simple. The calculation is the temperature in degrees x 1,8 and + 32.
So, for example, 20 degree Celsius would be 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 x 1,8 = 36, and 36 + 32 = 68). Then, of course, if you want to work from Fahrenheit to Celsius, the calculation would be the degrees in Fahrenheit – 32 / 1,8. For example, 80 degrees Fahrenheit would be 26 (80 – 32 = 48, and 48/1,8 = 26).